A new strategy for building permit procedures has been approved by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The strategy will ensure speeding up the process of acquiring building permits from concerned government entities to assist investors in the real estate sector, WAM reported.

The new strategy, set up by Dubai’s Committee for Building Permit Procedures Development, aims to enhance Dubai’s positioning as a city where the active building and construction sector plays an important role as key component of the economic development.

The strategy is built upon three pillars, first developing and streamlining building permit procedures, then unifying systems and requirement, while the last one provides a "one stop shop" where all the procedures and building permits processes in Dubai can be completed.

The three pillars will ensure speeding the process of acquiring permits in all its stages.

Dubai Municipality of Engineering and Planning assistant director general Daoud AbdulRahman Al Hajri and head of the Committee, said that the new strategy reflects the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, aiming to enhance customers’ happiness and save them time and efforts to create a stimulating environment that promotes Dubai’s famous investment climate.

As for the strategy preparation process, Al Hajri noted that since its formation in February 2017, the Committee held several meetings and workshops with the concerned stakeholders to discuss the various details of acquiring building permits.

The committee also formed four teams to conduct detailed researches and studies, where the first team works on developing the new building regulations based on the feedback gathered from customers, contractors and consultancies.

The second team’s scope of work includes licensing the consultancy and contracting companies based on standards that will ensure considering the permit’s conditions and requirements.

The third team is concerned with selecting building materials to study its technical specifications and ensure its compliance with the standard specifications then register them.

The fourth team will study and analyse the bids submitted by IT companies to develop the intended electronic payment system.

Dubai’s Committee for Building Permit Procedures Development was formed earlier this year in order to leverage the level of customer satisfaction though providing high quality services in building permit requests, and insure speedy processing of building permitting procedures, and enhance Dubai’s competitiveness in the related international reports.

The Committee includes several Dubai authorities and including the likes of the Dubai Municipality, DEWA and telecommunication service providers Du and Etisalat.